Brianna Pruiett of Anderson in "The Musical of Musicals"

Brianna Pruiett of Anderson is appearing in the Electric City Playhouse production of "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)". Brianna is portraying "June/The Ingénue" in the musical comedy.

Brianna’s character is faced with a problem: How will she pay her rent? Will she have to accept the villainous landlord’s proposal, or will the gallant hero save the day? Presented as a melodrama in the styles of five famous musical theatre composers, “The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)” is an entertaining show for both serious and casual audiences of musical theatre.

This is Brianna’s Electric City Playhouse (ECP) debut and she is excited to be back on stage, having appeared in her "dream role" as “Belle” in “Beauty and the Beast” at Crescent High School. Brianna met her husband in high school and they have continued their mutual love of theatre by attending shows whenever possible. Brianna notes that her husband, who is now the Treasurer for Electric City Playhouse, also appeared in an ECP show two years ago.

While she keeps busy making everything from “cupcakes to wedding cakes” in her baking business, Brianna heard about the auditions for “Musical of Musicals” and “decided it was time to get back into (theatre)!”

Brianna’s initial love of theatre came from “sitting and watching musicals and movies with my grandmother when I was young.” This experience lends itself well to “Musical of Musicals” since she easily recognized the five musical theatre composers spoofed in the show. She notes that the parodies provide “five reasons to see this show. Even though the theme of the show is June needing to pay her rent, they are five scenes and they are all different. There are so many little jokes hidden throughout the show.”

When asked which of the five parodies is her favorite, Brianna responded, “That’s a tough question for me!” Audiences can listen for the styles of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, and Kander and Ebb, with references to shows like “Oklahoma!”, “Hello, Dolly!”, "Cabaret", and more. Brianna especially likes the Stephen Sondheim parody because, “I enjoy my part in this section. I’m crazy in this scene and I love that I can just be a little out there with this role.”

In addition to Brianna, "The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)" features: Michael Benitez; Rebecca Benitez; Robin Frohm; Lynne Gibson; James Hall; Kaitlyn Kelley; Evelyn LeTeshia; Polly Ludena; Dawn Walker.

Rebecca Sink Evatt is directing, with musical direction by Julie Florin and choreography by Adair Kempf. Anne Spake and Sharon Schultz are the producers.

"The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)" has music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart, and book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart. The show is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

While Brianna's character in “Musical of Musicals” comically struggles to pay her rent, ECP recognizes the real need for safe and affordable housing. It was with this in mind that ECP selected Habitat for Humanity as its community partner for "Musical of Musicals". On May 4, Brianna was one of thirteen ECP volunteers helping with site clean-up and neighborhood landscaping in an Anderson community in which Habitat for Humanity is building homes. For more information about Habitat for Humanity of Anderson, visit http://www.habitatanderson.org/.

"The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)" is performed Fridays through Sundays from June 7 through June 16, 2019. Performances are at 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays and at 3pm on Sundays. Tickets are $15 each.

Also coming up in ECP’s 2019 season are “The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood”, “Moon Over Buffalo”, and “Messiah on the Frigidaire”. Additional shows are the interactive murder mystery, "You Have the Right to Remain Dead" (July 12 and 13 only), and the ECP Plus Show for Mature Audiences, “The Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris. For tickets and information, visit https://ecplayhouse.com or call 864.224.4248. Find ECP on Facebook and follow on Instagram and Twitter.